Though I am big fan Of Rafa can't say Rafa's footwork is Good , but you're saying it's poetry. I think you are biggest fan of King Rafa here.

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On clay his footwork is godly. I'm more of a Fed fan. But I can admit when other guys have great qualities.

People get distracted with Rafa's antics. But if you don't watch his face and put TV on mute, and watch in slow motion, Rafa's footwork is amazing. Try it. I suggest all Fed fans try it .

Actually all greats have an amazing footwork. You sort of need it. Footwork is the most important part in tennis, often overlooked. You can have all the shots in the book, but if you aren't in position and balanced to use them, it's like having a Ferrari without tires.

I agree. And a person doesn't even need experts to confirm it, everyone can see it with a naked eye.

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No, what you see is amazing speed. Rafa's footwork actually appears to be less efficient than Roger's. Rafa need to be faster because his footwork is less efficient (and because of his style of play). Roger, who is still fairly quick but not as fast as Rafa, glides to the ball. His footwork is efficient and he is rarely off balance. Can't say the same for Rafa.

Laver.. Just go watch his 1969 matches from one slam to the next and see that footwork.. Its ridiculous considering he played an all court game while guy's today don't have to. It requires better footwork

honerable mention for davydenko. if agassi was faster. but i mean there's agassi type movement to cut angles. all out speed with little footwork like black. i'd say berdych is a great mover especially for a big guy. never seems to have lumbered for a ball like querrey or del potro. maybe we should put them into height categories

With regards to Nadal, I think he has good footwork. It's his excellent foot-speed and anticipation that makes it look supremely awesome, especially on clay. Unfortunately it puts a lot of strain on his knees.

I think this is one category where Federer and Nadal tie for first place. I honestly can't say one is better than the other.

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Have we already forgotten about "blue clay"? Of the top players, only Federer's footwork was up to the task. Both Nadal & Djoko threatened to boycott if blue clay were to return.

As I mentioned previously, Roger's footwork is both highly efficient & effective. Rafa's, not so much. His footwork/play style puts him in "scramble mode" quite often -- he uses his amazing speed to compensate for being wrong-footed so often. Overuse of an extreme closed stance on FHs and 2-handed BHs requires extra execution & recovery steps. Roger does have an advantage in this respect since his 1-handed BH is well suited for the extreme closed stance. However, unlike Rafa, it is rare to find Roger hitting a FH where his hips are temporary locked because of a an extreme closed stance.

Roger's fluidity is unmatched by Rafa and other quick movers. Rafa's movement style is very harsh on his knees and other joints. His time away from the tour last year is a direct result of his movement/style...

some of you all are confusing foot work with foot speed, or at least overly combinig the two. some of the players with the best foot work are actually slow movers like Davenport. they literally have to have great footwork in order to compensate for their lack of mobility.

However, some of the greatest have both: Jimmy Connors had amazing foot work and speed!

Yeah, lol. I also remember some clip Fed being tripped and with his amazing footwork he saved himself. It wasn't on a tennis court though. It was some kind of corridor, I think.
Can anyone find this clip?

Fed and Nadal are very close. Can't comment on Laver/Rosewall as it's way before my time.
Fed perhaps get's the nod, because he's so smooth and efficient. But Nadal is extremely fast and is amazing at small steps, when he's running around a backhand.

This proves Novak is a pusher. A pusher was once the player who basically bunted the ball back with little to no follow through on their strokes. Now what you see in this video is pushing. WTF is pushing and not pushing is what I want to know?

Cool vid by the way. What a physically gifted athlete. Built to last, man.

Yeah, Nadal's footwork is generally a reason why his knees are so bad. It's a combination of running too much during points and not that efficient of footwork.

Federer's footwork is so efficient, to get from point a to point b. It doesn't hurt that his instincts and hand eye coordiation are superb (that's why he makes the flick shots and half volleys on the baseline look so easy).

lol at Djokovic having great footwork, if he was as soft on his feet he wouldn't have had that ankle injury and he wouldn't be off balanced in a lot of his follow throughs.

Murray has really good footwork, it's efficient as well, to go along with his foot speed.

Ferrer and Olivier Rochus also have great footwork, and they both need it considering they're both short. Rochus in particular because he has a 1HBH, so unlike Ferrer he can't just jump on some of his topspin backhands.